General Counseling

Merritt College counselors provide academic, career, and pesonal counseling services to help students identify educational, career and personal goals and develop plans to achieve those goals.  Counselors can also refer students to other on-campus services. Students are encouraged to meet with counselors early in the educational process to plan their program of study. Some counseling services are available on a drop-in basis while others require a scheduled appointment. 

Drop-in Counseling

Drop-in counseling is limited to 10-15 minutes, on a first-come, first served basis, for these kinds of services:

• General information
• Initial enrollment assistance (including review of assessment results and help planning a first semester)
• Prerequisite checking and clearance (including challenges)*
• Clearing probation holds (Academic and Progress probation)
• Petitions for Matriculation exemptions (i.e., students who have earned an Associate degree or higher, students enrolled in fewer than 12 units with designated educational goals, etc.)

*To clear prerequisite holds, you must have completed an application and be in the Peralta CCD Passport system, have a Social Security Number or Student Identification Number, and have official or unofficial transcripts for courses to be used to clear the prerequisite taken outside PCCD.  In some cases, you must also provide a course description, syllabus, or other supporting documentation. 

Counseling Appointments

Students should schedule an appointment with a counselor for these kinds of services:

• Student Education Plan (SEP) development (initial or update; bring transcripts from non-Peralta colleges)
• Filing petitions for degrees and/or certificates
• Transfer counseling and planning (including concurrent enrollment)
• Career counseling
• Completing re-instatement petitions for either Academic or Progress Dismissal
• Other issues that require more than 15 minutes

NOTE:  During peak registration periods, counselors are only available for drop-in counseling on a first-come, first-served basis. Because appointments are needed for developing SEPs, degree/certificate petitions, transfer counseling/planning and other types of counseling services, students must wait until mid-September or late January to schedule an appointment.

e-Counseling

The Merritt College General Counseling Department offers online e-Counseling services to students who are enrolled in online courses, those who have disabilities that make in-person counseling difficult, and/or those who are located too far from campus for face-to-face counseling services.  Please visit our e-Counseling page for more information.  PLEASE NOTE THAT e-COUNSELING SERVICES ARE NOT AVAILABLE DURING SUMMER, DURING WINTER AND SPRING BREAKS, AND ON COLLEGE HOLIDAYS.

Other Counseling Services

The Merritt College Counseling Department provides specialized services to students who qualify for Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOPS), Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSP&S), Veterans Services, CalWORKS, Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE), and other services.  For more information about these programs, please call:

• EOPS:  510-436-2470 or 2473
• DSP&S:  510-436-2429 (Voice) or 510-434-3881 (V/TDD)
• Veterans:  510-436-2475
• CalWORKS:  510-436-2651 or 2469
• CARE:  510-436-2476

Counselors are available during day and evening hours in the Counseling Center, located in Room R-109A in the R Building (Student Services). Please call 510-436-2475 for information or to schedule an appointment.  Days and times of operation are:

Summer Hours:

Monday - Thursday:  8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; closed Fridays

Fall and Spring semesters:

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday:  8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
   (last appointment at 4:00 p.m.)
Thursday:  8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
   (last appointment at 6:30 p.m.)
Friday:  8 a.m. - Noon
   (last appointment at 11:30 a.m.)

PLEASE NOTE THAT COUNSELING SERVICES ARE NOT AVAILABLE DURING WINTER AND SPRING BREAKS AND ON COLLEGE HOLIDAYS.